Donald Trump Jr plans to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father reiterated his desire for the US to take control of the independent Danish territory.
The son of the US president-elect plans to record podcast videos during a one-day private visit, US media reported.
Donald Trump reignited the controversy in December when he said “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security.
He had previously expressed interest in buying an Arctic island during his first term as president. Trump was opposed by Greenland’s leaders on both occasions.
“We are not selling and we will not be sold,” said the island’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, in December. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
President-elect Trump confirmed his son’s trip on the social networking site Truth Social on Monday.
He said Don Jr and “various representatives” would travel to Greenland “to visit some of the most beautiful places and sights”.
Trump added that Greenland and its people “will greatly benefit if, and when, it becomes part of our nation”.
“We will protect it, and cherish it, from the cruel outside world,” he said. “Make Greenland beautiful again!”
The president-elect’s post also included a video showing an unnamed Greenlander – wearing a red Make America Great Again hat – telling Trump to buy Greenland and free it from “annexation” by Denmark.
The identity of the man in the clip is unclear.
Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it very important to the US. It is also home to America’s largest space station.
The president-elect’s eldest son played a major role during the 2024 US election campaign, often appearing at rallies and in the media.
But he will not go to Greenland on behalf of his father’s incoming administration, according to Denmark’s foreign ministry.
“We have noted Donald Trump Jr’s planned visit to Greenland. As it is not an official US visit, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot comment on the visit,” the ministry told BBC News.
A few hours after the recent intervention of President-elect Trump, the Danish government announced a a large increase in defense spending in Greenland. Denmark’s Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the timing of the announcement as “future confusion”.
On Monday Denmark’s King Frederik X changed the royal coat of arms to prominently display representations of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Some saw this as a reprimand from Trump, but it could prove controversial with the Greenland separatist movement.
King Frederik used his New Year’s speech to say that the Kingdom of Denmark is united “all the way to Greenland”, adding that “we are together”.
But Greenland’s prime minister used his own New Year’s speech to push for independence from Denmark, saying the island must break free from the “chains of colonialism”.
Trump is not the first US president to propose buying Greenland. This idea was first proposed by the country’s 17th president, Andrew Johnson, in the 1860s.
Separately in recent weeks, Trump has done just that threatened to regain control of the Panama Canalone of the most important waterways in the world. He accused Panama of charging too much for access.
The president of Panama responded that “every square meter” of the canal and the surrounding areas belong to his country.
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